2014 VW Golf Plus previewed

This is the new Volkswagen Golf Plus, previewed as a concept called Golf Sportsvan that will make its public debut at this week's Frankfurt Motor Show.

The Golf Plus grows for its second generation (the original car was introduced as a variant of the Mk5 Golf). It's 13cm longer than the model it replaces, and 8cm longer than the Mk7 Golf. As with the outgoing model, though, one of the biggest gains is in height; the new car is 13cm taller than a regular Golf. It's also 8cm wider, emphasising its focus on cabin space.

Boot capacity is up by 74 litres to 498 litres (more than 100 litres up on a regular Golf's), and the rear seats can be moved forwards to increase that space further, to 585 litres. Folding down the second row creates 1512 litres of load space, and a folding front passenger seat will be offered as an option, potentially allowing items up to 2.4 metres long to be carried.

The engine line-up will include four 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engines, with 84bhp, 109bhp, 123bhp and 148bhp, and three turbodiesels, a 2.0-litre 148bhp, a 1.6 with 89bhp and, in the Bluemotion edition, a 1.6 with 109bhp. VW claims the last of those engines will return 76.3mpg and emit 95g/km of CO2. All engines but the entry-level petrol will be available with a DSG dual-clutch gearbox as well as the standard manual transmissions.

The Golf Plus will get many of the features (some optional) that have been introduced on the current Golf, including Adaptive Cruise Control, City Emergency Braking, Driver Alert System, Blind Spot Monitor and a camera-operated Lane Assist System.

As you might expect, the concept's interior demonstrates how closely linked this car is to the regular Golf. The dashboard has a slightly different design but its broad look and almost all of its switches are carried over from the regular hatchback.

The new Golf Plus is due on sale in summer 2014. Prices haven't been announced, but we'd expect them to follow the Mk7 Golf's lead and so be slightly higher than the old car's, although the new car will have more standard equipment and that safety kit. VW has already stated that the concept's name, Sportsvan, is unlikely to end up on the final production model.